CFL player suspended after gambling on a game he played in

Apr 24 2024, 5:37 pm

The CFL announced Wednesday that defensive lineman Shawn Lemon has been suspended indefinitely for his participation in sports wagering.

Lemon, who re-signed with the Montreal Alouettes in the offseason after winning the Grey Cup with the team last November, was caught betting on multiple CFL games over the past few years — including one he played in.

An investigation revealed that Lemon bet on CFL games in 2021 while he was a member of the Calgary Stampeders.

“The integrity of our game is of the utmost importance. Any other factors – career performance, actions in the community, timing, frequency or size of wagers – hold no weight when the legitimacy of the CFL can be called into question,” said the league’s commissioner, Randy Ambrosie, in a Wednesday press release.

“It is our responsibility as a league to investigate and address such abnormalities, and it is our collective duty, along with our teams and players, to ensure that sports wagering in no way impacts the quality nor standing of the CFL.”

Lemon, 35, has been a member of eight teams across the league over his 13-year career: BC Lions, Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Saskatchewan Roughriders, Edmonton Elks, Ottawa Redblacks, Toronto Argonauts, Calgary Stampeders, and Alouettes.

Despite recently signing a contract with Montreal, the Charleston, South Carolina, native abruptly announced his retirement from the league on April 10.

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